1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a recreational mat which folds into a carrying bag unit.
2. Prior Art
As a mother of four I have spent a considerable amount of time gathering toys and game pieces from the floor of my home. If we visited neighbors or attended family outings, we had to take the toys with us and try to gather them up when it was time to leave. Anyone who has had children around can relate to these situations. When our children were in pre-school we would spread a blanket or bed sheet in the middle of the floor to provide the children with a smooth clean surface on which to play and put toys on the blanket for entertainment. We would pull the blanket up by its four comers to hold the toys until the next time. This solution was inconvenient as a means of storage or for transporting and tracking the toys at someone else's house, at a park or at the beach. Other parents attempt to solve the problem by throwing the toys into a basket or toy box, or simply restricting them to a room that is `off limits` to visitors.
As the children grew, they went from stuffed animals to Barbies, blocks to Legos, and from there to jigsaw puzzles, board games and card games. As the toys became more challenging and unstable containers (e.g. boxes) were essential for their storage and transport, missing game or puzzle pieces, doll accessories etc became a serious problem.
Commercially available solutions to this problem are inadequate. In toy stores, one can buy a small mat/quilt with play articles attached, designed for very young babies (Fold 'N Go Activity Quilt; Playskool Inc.). The mat folds and fastens with a button in one corner in order to fit conveniently into, e.g. a diaper bag In the folded form, this mat does not, however, create a suitable bag for storing or transporting other toys.
Most mat/utility bag combinations found in the patent search are designed with numerous zippers and fastners. Some provide additional carrying space, but do not permit articles to remain on the mat during conversion (U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,951,527, 3,976,113, 4,468,810, 4,489,815 and 5,110,219)). Other mat/bag combinations are folded for self-storage or transport, but provide no additional carrying space inside (U.S. Pat. No. 4,164,275). The items in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,479,203 and 4,738,515 both provide draw strings that allow the items to remain on the mat for transport; however, it requires significant effort to flatten the bag into a mat, and strength to convert the mat back to a bag. The draw string also presents a safety hazard for younger children. Finally, a blanket that folds into a pillow and is carried with a strap was found in the McCall's pattern book during a review of available fabric patterns. It did not form a carrying bag.
The invention described herein is a recreational mat/totable storage bag. As a bag, it is held conveniently by six handles which are held together by a tab/fastener. When the invention is in the folded configuration, and is held in an upright position using the handles, contents of the bag are retained within. The bag is easily unfolded into a mat or refolded into a bag with the articles in the middle. Further, the inside surface of the mat may be imprinted with a game or design to stimulate the child's imagination, or to serve as a game board. A variation of the mat/totable storage bag could be used to store and/or transport gardening equipment, beach paraphernalia etc.